College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2026-05-07 06:10:44
Major
Computer Information Systems
Honors Course
CISS 491-001
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2026
Abstract
Traditional messaging systems that rely on centralized infrastructure often introduce three security vulnerabilities: single points of failure susceptible to availability attacks, metadata leakage, and man-in-the-middle attacks.
This project designs, implements, and validates a distributed peer-to-peer messaging system that addresses each of these concerns through architectural design. A consistent hash ring is used with virtual nodes to distribute user data across a mesh of connected nodes, eliminating centralized dependency on any single server. Message contents travel directly between browser clients over a WebRTC data channel secured with end-to-end DTLS encryption, bypassing the server infrastructure. Inter-node communication is protected by mutual TLS with a self-managed certificate authority. Users are able to verify the integrity of their connection by comparing a matching fingerprint displayed on both sides of the channel.
Validation was conducted in a three-node Docker test environment. When one node was forcefully stopped to simulate an availability attack, the remaining nodes detected the failure, rebuilt the hash ring, and continued serving traffic. This occurred without interruption to active user sessions. Logs confirmed that message content, frequency, and timing remained unobservable, though chat session creation events were still recorded. All stated research objectives were met or partially met.
Research Sponsor
Nadhem Ebrahim
First Reader
Stanley H. Smith
Second Reader
Janet Kropff
Honors Faculty Advisor
Janet Kropff
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Community Engaged Scholarship
Yes
Recommended Citation
Stoller, Jack, "Secure Peer-to-Peer Messaging Using Distributed Servers" (2026). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 2209.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/2209